Best laid plans....I wanted to write about M.L. Stedman's long awaited book A Far Flung Life but life got in my way. It's a five star for me and I will write about it soon.
Between some rather serious allergies this Spring and a nasty visit to the dermatologist (resulting in stitches on my face ) I have been unable to motivate myself to write much. Reading is a solace for me so I have been chilling out with books. Best medicine I can think of right now.
Here is one for the 2026 nonfiction reading challenge.
Lost Gardens of the World is a cool little coffee table book you can flip through and then get lost down the rabbit hole looking up the actual locale. There are lovely illustrations of the gardens as they once were (or as perceived) as well as historical information telling us about the families who owned the land.
Some of my favorites were in England. The garden in Pentewan England was one that had me looking up the Tremayne family and how this beautiful estate and gardens were abandoned. Eighty years after the first World War it is slowly being restored. Most of the young men went off to war and never returned, taking the heart out of those left behind.
In 1991 a team of volunteers starting cutting through the tangled overgrown area, finding remains of water features, paths and a lake.
Another very interesting story is about Cougar Annie's Garden on Vancouver Island. Well, it was of interest to me. Annie was quite a character and what a determined woman. She cleared land herself and built up an orchard business, started the Boat Basin Post Office and shot cougars, yes...real cougars.
This is a good armchair travel book with the featured neglected or abandoned gardens in Italy, The Netherlands, Canada, Morocco, Nepal and more.
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Category: Lost and Found
Joy's Book Blog for British Isles Friday
Oh yikes...stitches on the face sounds horrible!!! But good that they got whatever it was.
ReplyDeleteJinjer, I sure hope they got it all! If not I need to go back and have more cut. Wish I had never ever laid out in the sun in my youth. We just didn't know the harm it caused.
DeleteI’m glad you enjoyed the book Tina. Thanks for sharing your thoughts
ReplyDeleteI’m sorry to hear about the stitches, take care of yourself x
Shelleyrae, it was a nice book. Noat all of it interested me but I sure did go off on resaerch tangents to see what became of the gardens and the area.
DeleteThanks about the stitches. One more week of them.
Ugh. So sorry to hear about your dermatology appointment, but as Jinjer said, it's good they found whatever needed to be removed. I hope it's not too painful!
ReplyDeleteGlad you enjoyed A Far-flung Life as much as I did. I'll keep an eye out for your review. It's one I'll read again.
I did a search for Cougar Annie's Garden in case we get back to Vancouver Island in the next few years. We probably won't visit the garden since it's quite a ways north of Tofino and our RV would never make it on those roads!
Les, A Far-Flung Life was so good. I may have enjoyed her first book a bit more but wow, can Stedman ever write a tragic story.
DeleteThis garden book has so many cool places to to check on but the story about Annie and how resilient she was amazed me.
This sounds amazing! The Tremayne family estate gardens story sounds fascinating as does Cougar Annie. I'm sorry about your dermatology appointment. Hopefully they were able to get clean margins and all is okay now. My husband has gotten two melanomas cut off his ear and it is not a good time.
ReplyDeleteKatherine, I read so much about the Tremayne family and would eventually get back to the book, explore another garden. It's the sort of book you can come back to anytime and read about another garden in another part of the world.
DeleteI am sorry to hear about the melanoma, that had to hurt. He has my sympathies! My stiches on the cheek are driving me crazy right now. Hope they got it all.
I hope you're doing all right ... severe allergies are no fun ... and I hope the stitches are gone and things are more healed. Fingers crossed your results are clear. Curious where on Van Island Annie's Garden is located. Looks like a pretty book. Chat soon.
ReplyDeleteSusan, I finally found a good OTC med called Allegra. It helps quite a bit. Don;t know why but hate taling meds still...if it stops this itchy eye and sneezing combo I have going!
DeleteWe can chat later - welcome home!
Reading is definitely good medicine. I self-medicate that way myself quite often!
ReplyDeleteLost Gardens of the World is a book that my late sister Frances would have bought two copies of--one for her and one for me, and then we would have talked for hours about the gardens we would visit together...someday. I do miss her. I will get a copy for myself in her memory.
Anyway, it looks lovely. Is the Cougar Annie garden what grew into Butchart Gardens, which I visited in 2023 with Frances two months before she passed away. Sorry I keep on hijacking your post, but this book really struck a nerve for me.
Jane, it's certainly a good book to pick up anytime, and open in any place as well. Each garden has it's own story. I didn;t know Cougar Annie's garden was now called Butchart.
DeleteI understand about losing your sister, it's hard. Mine died at 49, far too youg.
Lost Gardens of the World looks like a beautiful book! I hope the allergies ease up soon and I hope the stitches on your face are healing, too. I go to the dermatologist every six months now, but got of easy last time... just had to "freeze" a spot on my nose. I'll look forward to your review of M.L. Stedman's new book whenever you feel like writing about it. Take care, Tina.
ReplyDeleteJoAnn, it's a pretty book and there are illustrations for each garden. Wish there were actual photos of some though.
DeleteThe stitches are the kind that disolve but there are some strands sticking out so, bandages are needed to keep from accidentally pulling one. Florida living!
The Stedman book was so good, just like The Light Between Oceans. I liked the first book better but this was a good one. Answering your email this morning. Sorry for being such a sad sack :-)